Apple drops 4G reference from iPad 3 name

It's not often we see Apple admit to getting something wrong - but here's one of those rare occasions. Remember the brand spanking new, all singing, all dancing New iPad 3 unveiled just a few months ago? The 4G capable one? Well, it's had to remove the words '4G' from the marketing bumph.

It's not the info is wrong, per se. It isn't. The iPad 3 is 4G-capable according to the rather vague definitions for the term that do exist. But you can only take advantage if you're in a country that actually has 4G networks, which we in Britain don't, hence some felt the ad was misleading.

The Australians took it worst. In fact, their advertising standards people, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, actually had words with Apple after it "failed to respond to its concerns that the name of its new tablet – iPad Wifi + 4G – would mislead Australian consumers".

Apple hasn't made much of a song and dance about the name change here. In fact, it all appears to have been done rather quietly. With all reference to "4G" having been replaced on its UK website with "cellular" rather than "3G", in line with similar changes that have come into effect in Australia, New Zealand and South East Asia.

Interestingly, though, it's also changing the description on apple.com, which services the US, and the company's Canadian outlets. We say "interesting" because are two countries where 4G IS available. Presumably, it's being changed worldwide to have some kind of synergy in the brand. Expect to be on the iPad 6 by the time 4G eventually arrives in the UK!

Interestingly, a few cars here in Ireland are advertised as having top speeds of over 160mph.
Yet, not a single place to legally test if they actually can go that fast...
A car is as fast on the Autobahn or on Volkswagen's special long, straight road in Germany as it is in Ireland, where that top speed can't be reached, legally. That analogy would be more fitting to a mbps speed cap on all civilian internet connections, than a technical limitation of the 3G network.